budget assignment

General Notes for the Analysis

In your analysis, start with the numbers. Prepare the tables before you begin writing the narrative about revenue and expenditure trends. The text should follow the tables.
Look at the BIG PICTURE! Do not spend time discussing a change in a department that is only 1% of the budget.
Document what you say with supporting numbers. For example, do NOT say, “the budget has grown a lot,” DO say, “the budget has grown 5% over this period.”
Do not force the reader to look at and interpret the tables and charts. You need to tell the reader the key points from the table. One way to do this is to pretend that you will not be including the table in the paper, so you have to write as if it will not be there. The tables are there only as additional information, to support your statements and analysis.
Label and title your tables and charts.
Include totals in your tables.
Think about what the numbers show. Do your conclusions seem logical? If not, verify that the data and formulas in your spreadsheets are correct.